Minecraft expert required. (paid)

Have another client looking for someone proficient / expert in creating mods for Minecraft.Due to patents pending a non disclosure agreement must be in place before further details are revealed. This is a paying gig.

In October @Steve contracted me to do some development and server configuration which I invoiced him for. 4 weeks later he still hadn't paid and when I approached him about it, he said he would pay 1/2 now and the rest later. That was over a month ago now and hasn't happened either.

As an experienced contractor both locally and abroad... minor delays on payment are a part of life when you run a business. I don't think burning bridges on that basis is all that wise, @ChristopherM. The industry in SA is small.

I have exactly 6 invoices here which Tasty Poison paid, over the course of 2016-2017. There were one or two minor delays, but he has always communicated these to me early on, and paid out in full, on a total of 3 projects so far. I remain in contact with @Steve and would work gladly work with him again.

As an experienced contractor both locally and abroad... I don't think overreacting and subsequently burning bridges with clients because of minor delays on payment, is all that wise, @ChristopherM. Especially when the industry in SA is small.

I have exactly 6 invoices here which Tasty Poison paid, over the course of 2016-2017. There were one or two minor delays, but he has _always_ communicated these to me early on, and paid out in full, on a total of 3 projects so far. I remain in contact with @Steve and would work gladly work with him again.

As someone who is an experienced contractor both locally and abroad, I can tell you that it is possible for people to have different experiences with the same employer. I think @ChristopherM is in the right here warning the community. If they have been paid since this incident, then the right thing to do would be to let us know. Even your statement of one or two minor delays` just reeks of problems and I would avoid this.

Disclaimer : I dont know anyone involved in this thread, these are just my opinions.

@CiNiMoD I doubt you've done many contracts if you're saying you've never had a delay on payment. "Reeks" is your inexperienced view, undoubtedly, of never having to manage a business's cash flow, yourself. I've had to pay contractors and it is not always a simple matter to keep things rolling smoothly. Murphy's Law, problems will crop up.

As it stands, I make it my business to pay contractors in an extremely timely fashion. The excellent @Dipso could attest, among others (even some who have disappointed me). You have to really disrespect me as a client for me not to pay you on time. I have had only one like that so far, and in the end even he was paid. So yes, I've seen it from both ends of the spectrum - as client and as contractor. Don't be so quick to judge till you're at the reins.

I doubt you've done many contracts if you've never had a delay on payment

This is exactly why I would avoid this person like the plague. When people don't get paid, its not because of Murphy's Law, its because of poor planning. People hire someone on a promise of work, then they are waiting to be paid so they can pay the contractor. This is bullshit. If you take on the work, have the money to pay the people. I understand this isn't always possible in the beginning, but thats why I said I would avoid them.

Its because of people like this that I make sure I always have a minimum of 6 months of salary in my business account. 6 months is the average contract length in the UK, and this way I can ride it out if I need to. Fortunately, the longest I've gone without being paid is 4 months, but I dont want that extra headache of having to chase money while also trying to work. Again, why I avoid people like this.

I doubt you've done many contracts if you've never had a delay on payment

and

This is exactly why I would avoid this person like the plague.

Seems like a non sequitur. I think you're now just repeating yourself. So I'll repeat myself again - if you have never been on the other side of the fence, don't be so quick to judge. If you've never dealt with an extremely difficult end client while trying to keep devs paid, don't be so quick to judge. You sound youthful and overly hopeful to me... think everything can be planned out of the way. That's not how the real world works. (Not to say planning is anything but good, but...)

You may also have been spoiled by the UK industry and have utterly forgotten what things can be like in SA. I've had a top local client screw up with me in a way you wouldn't believe, but ultimately if their end clients are no good, there is only so much they can do to mitigate the damage after signing a contract on their end. And it is not always clear to them right away, i.e. when they sign their devs, how good that end client is going to be on any given project. Companies are also not fixed entities and people come and go. Just because a prior year's project went off smoothly, doesn't mean the new liaisons / PMs / whatevers are as good as they once were. Yes, these things can be mitigated. No, never 100%.

Just a reminder as to your earlier disclaimer: You haven't worked for this client, nor have you had to pay contractors. So right now it's just empty barrels.

This is incorrect. I have multiple (3) contractors working on applications for me at the moment. My current way of working is we sit down together and define a spec. They quote me. I pay 50% up front and 50% on completion. After the work is complete, we assess where we are and we have a look at what else needs to be done. Repeat until done. The final 50% of their money is currently sitting in a business savings account while I wait for them to finish. This is separate to my 6 months of contingency money that I have. I don't understand why this is so hard to grasp? Work for people who pay promptly and reliably. You yourself have stated that OP has not been able to pay on time before. Whether he informed you or not, this doesn't instil confidence and is something that people consider working for them need to know about. While you and I might be fortunate enough to be able to survive without being paid promptly, some people here may not.